Our History

St. Clare Catholic School, founded in 1868, has provided continuous, quality Catholic education to the O’Fallon community for over 140 years as part of the Belleville Diocese.

In 1927, a new brick structure was built at 214 W. Third Street, the current location of the school. Four additional classrooms were added in 1954. Goelz Hall, which houses the cafeteria and gymnasium, was constructed in 1968.Our most recent addition was completed in April 2013. Please come by and take a tour. We are so proud of the families from our school and our parishes that made this dream a reality.

Our Mission Statement

St. Clare School is a partnership of motivated students, dedicated faculty and clergy, involved parents, and supportive parishioners. We believe a quality Catholic education to be an essential ministry of the Church in not just forming strong students but forming strong Catholics.

Our mission is to teach our children to know, love, and serve God and to prepare them to become responsible members of the world community. We strive for academic excellence and development of the whole person, while fostering self-respect and respect for others based on the example of Jesus Christ.

Our Philosophy

St. Clare School is a Catholic School whose staff members work as co-workers with parents and the parish communities, striving to encourage each student’s faith to become more living-conscious and active through the light of instruction.

Traditionally, the school is a place where pupils learn the three R’s. In St. Clare School this concept has been broadened to include much more than knowledge of basic skills, important as they may be. Were we to neglect a fourth R – Religion or Christian Living – we would fail measurably in the love of Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Today, along with skills, we expect children to develop attitudes, interests, concepts, and habits that will result in well-rounded individuals with a strong commitment to serving others in the spirit of God’s love.

The primary reason for the existence of any school is to serve each child so that he/she will, to the utmost of his/her ability, retain the accumulated knowledge of the past, gain an ability to use the knowledge in the present, and learn to think critically and creatively beyond the frontiers of knowledge. Our students are taught that education is a responsibility shared both by the students and the teacher.

Who Was St. Clare

Our patroness, St. Clare of Assisi, was a young girl born into a 13th century wealthy family, who defied the convention of the day to devote her life to Jesus.

Clare became infatuated with the Jesus proclaimed by Francis, who preached about the streets of Assisi of a savior who was close to the poor and the weak; one who shared our cares and bore our sufferings.

Clare desired the freedom to choose a vocation dedicated to living the gospel of Jesus.

Already under the dominion of her father, who by convention would choose a spouse for her, Clare knew she would have to revolt and leave her family in order to achieve her dream. Aided by Francis and his companions, Clare fled her home in the dark of the night. She moved to a Benedictine convent, where she donned the habit and veil of a nun.

Her furious family traced her whereabouts and found her clinging to the altar in the chapel. She tore off her veil, revealing that all of her hair had been cut off. Her family then backed away from her, as she was would no longer be negotiable merchandise in the marriage market.

Once Clare made her final vows, her religious status emancipated her from her family. She became a spiritual companion to Francis. Together they championed a radical fidelity to gospel teachings, which profoundly changed the course of society.

Although Clare never left her convent, she became one of the most influential religious figures of her age. Her special joy was prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. She guided the spread of her sisterhood, and she continued as an inspiration to the Franciscan friars as they evangelized throughout Europe.

When Clare died at the age of 60, she was already a legend. Her own writings & authentic deeds revealed a vibrantly independent woman, wise beyond her age and culture; a holy non-conformist who opened avenues of grace unsuspected by her contemporaries.